The instant invention relates to engineering blank layout drawings, and more particularly to keyline drawings for decorative tins and metal enclosures.
Since the earliest days of consumer packaging, metal containers and decorative tins have proven to be as fashionable as they are durable. While originally used to provide product protection from the elements as well as from breakage for many dry goods, teas, spices, lozengers, saltine crackers, etc., and while these metallic containers are still used in this fashion for these very purposes, the style, design, and collectability of these metallic containers and decorative tins have driven the demand for these products to an unprecedented level.
The desire for functional, yet collectable, metallic containers and decorative tins has provided great opportunity for the artistic talent of the designers of these products. In addition to the traditional round and square tins with removable lids, and smaller rectangular containers with hinged lids, many decorative tins are now being produced in a wide variety of shapes, including houses, animals, and recently NASCAR racing cars. Typically, included on all of these various types of metallic containers and decorative tins are the graphic images and colors, product identification information and corporate and product logos, as well as other graphics which distinguish these containers and the products provided therein. Further, modern packaging laws and regulations also require that a significant amount of actual text be included on these containers as well. While many manufacturers choose to include this required textural material on separate stickers or labels which are affixed to the metallic containers and decorative tins, such increases the overall cost of the packaging, and is therefore undesirable for some product manufacturers.
A continuing challenge in the actual manufacture of these decorative tins and metallic containers lies with the proper placement and design of the artwork included thereon. The design process for these decorative tins begins with the project engineers who must develop engineering drawings which illustrate how the sheet metal material used to manufacture these articles will be cut, bent, rolled, stretched, embossed, etc. to form the actual shape of the enclosure. Once this product formation design process is complete, these engineering design drawings become the basis for the ultimate digital file used by the graphic artists who must come up with the artwork design layout to be placed on the product. For ease of printing, the artwork is applied to the article prior to its actual manufacture while it is still in two dimensional flat sheet form. While this greatly decreases the cost of printing by allowing the use of two dimensional printing processes, it presents a significant problem for the graphic artist who must actually design a layout which will appear properly once the various bending, stretching, rolling, etc. processes are completed on the flat sheet metal to form the actual three dimensional product.
Conventionally, the external graphic artist was provided a two dimensional film based keyline for the article from which she was required to design a graphical layout for implementation thereon. These keylines were initially generated from the engineering blank layouts by removing certain information not germane to the graphical design. However, the keylines generated in this fashion provided only limited information which was particularly relevant to the graphic artist to aid her in the design of the appropriate images to be printed thereon. Recognizing this, the keylines were modified to provide additional information significant to the graphic artists to aid them in their artwork design. These keyline drawings included additional lines designating certain areas appropriate for different types of graphics on the finished decorative tin or metal enclosure. These additional lines were typically supplemented with textural information to identify the type of line or the meaning thereof. As an example of such a keyline drawing, reference is made to FIG. 1b. 
As may be seen from this FIG. 1b, the keyline drawing 10 includes graphic design limit lines 12 which enclose regions of relatively undistorted surface area into which graphical elements which should not be distorted on the finished product should be placed. However, since these graphic design limit lines 12 are often hard to distinguish from the manufacturing lines 14 generated on the original engineering drawing, additional textural material 16 is required to be added to help the graphic designer clarify the appropriate regions for different types of textural material. However, typically these written cues do not suffice without additional design notes 18 provided on the drawing to further clarify regions which do not lend themselves to separate marking by design limit lines 12. Even with these additional notes 18, however, a majority of the regions on the keyline drawing are left without any designator as to what type of graphics or colors may be placed therein. Further, many of the regions on the keyline drawing contain no indication as to whether or not they will remain visible once the particular part has been assembled.
As a result of these limitations with the information which may be conveyed on the keyline drawing, the graphical design is typically required to be done, and modified, several times before it is finalized. The necessity for these multiple edits to finalize a graphical design on the three dimensional metallic container or decorative tin significantly increases the cost associated with the design process. Often, undesirable distortions of the graphical design are not discovered until prototype items have been produced in readiance for final manufacture. Graphical redesign at this stage of the production process becomes quite significant since machinery often needs to be changed to accommodate the modified design. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that many keyline drawings include regions whose distortion during the manufacturing process varies, but which is typically not separately marked on a conventional keyline drawing. These regions, while not defining a design limit, nonetheless need to be accounted for during the graphic design process. Unfortunately, these non-defined areas of varying distortion are typically only accounted for once a prototype has been manufactured and the first round of graphic design modifications made. As will be recognized by one skilled in the art, this increases the design cycle, increases the time to market of the product, and increases the overall cost of the packaging design.
In view of the above, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a new and improved method of generating keyline drawings for decorative tins and metal containers which overcomes the above and other problems existing in the art. More particularly, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a new and improved design aid and method of designating various regions of acceptable graphics design, copy, and distortion in a keyline drawing for decorative tins and metallic containers. Additionally, it is an object of the instant invention to provide such a method that results in a colored keyline diagram which may be used by graphic designers visually during their design layout. It is a further object of the instant invention to simplify these keyline drawings by eliminating the need for the provision of additional graphic design limit lines and textural material. It is a further object of the instant invention to reduce the design cycle time of a graphic design for a decorative tin or metallic container, thereby decreasing the time to market and overall design costs of the product. It is a further object of the instant invention to identify varying regions of distortion on a keyline drawing for a decorative tin or metallic container to allow for single design cycle graphic layout.
In view of these objects it is a feature of the instant invention to provide a visual guide to be used in conjunction with conventional keyline drawings to aid the graphic designer in the graphic design layout for decorative tins and metallic containers. It is a further feature of the instant invention to provide a color overlay for conventional keyline drawings identifying various regions of differing distortion and functionality of the resulting manufactured part identified by the conventional keyline drawing. It is a further object of the instant invention to provide this visual color overlay as a removable surface in a graphics design program. It is an additional feature of the instant invention to identify by color overlay a design limit indicating the maximum allowed area for design image to be viewed on fabricated container parts, e.g., body, cover, bottom, including debossed bead. Additionally, it is a feature of the instant invention to provide indication of visible non-essential design areas, tab, lock, and bleed areas wherein the color, design, and copy can bleed through, but which are not essential except where the lock match occurs. It is an additional feature of the instant invention to identify the curl, hem, seam, and hinge area wherein bleed color may be applied, although no copy or design is appropriate. Additionally, it is a feature of the instant invention to identify by color overlay the bead and inverted bead area through which color should bleed, and in which it is okay to run copy and design since this will be viewed on the formed part. It is an additional feature of the instant invention to identify severe distortion areas in which bleed solid colors and/or forgiving designs may be utilized and in which copy or critical design elements may not be placed. It is a further feature of the instant invention to identify an embossing limit that designates the maximum allowed region for an image that will be embossed. Further, it is a feature of the instant invention to identify a no print area in which varnish or lacquer only may be placed since dark coatings or ink will typically scratch off during usage.
In view of these objects and features, a preferred embodiment of the instant invention provides a graphical design aid for use in designing a two dimensional graphical illustration for a two dimensional sheet to be formed into a three dimensional item, e.g. a decorative tin or metallic container. The graphical design aid comprises a two dimensional graphical surface defining a plurality of regions, each of which corresponding to areas of relative distortion of the two dimensional sheet when formed into the three dimensional item. At least one of these regions is substantially filled with a distortion designator. Preferably, a plurality of the regions is filled with a distortion designator. The distortion designators include fill colors, and each different fill color represents a different relative distortion of the two dimensional sheet when formed into the three dimensional item.
The regions defined preferably include a design limit region which designates a maximum allowed area for design images to be viewed on the three dimensional item, including a debossed bead. Additionally, the regions preferably include a visible non-essential design area. Further, the regions include a tab, lock, and bleed area through which color, design, and copy may bleed. The regions also preferably include a curl, hem, seam, and hinge area in which bleed color only may be placed. A bead and inverted bead area through which color should bleed and copy and design may run since the bead and inverted bead area is visible on the formed three dimensional item is also preferably included. Severe distortion areas into which bleed solid colors and forgiving designs may be placed are also preferably provided, as is an embossing limit area indicating a maximum allowed area for placement of images that will be embossed in the forming of the three dimensional item. Finally, the regions also preferably include a no print area from which dark coatings and ink are likely to scratch off.
In a preferred embodiment of the instant invention, a different distortion designator is utilized to fill regions of different relative distortion of the two dimensional sheet when formed into the three dimensional item. These distortion designators include fill colors and fill patterns. Preferably, at least one region includes both a fill color and a fill pattern. In a highly preferred embodiment of the instant invention, the two dimensional graphical surface is a computer generated layer suitable for use with a computer graphics design program.
Also provided by the teachings of the instant invention is a method of aiding the design of a two dimensional graphical illustration for a two dimensional sheet to be formed into a three dimensional item. This method comprises the steps of identifying a plurality of regions of relative distortion of the two dimensional sheet when formed into the three dimensional item, assigning a graphical designator to each different region of relative distortion, and filling each of the regions with its assigned graphical designator. Preferably, the step of assigning a graphical designator includes the steps of assigning a fill color and assigning a fill pattern.
In a preferred embodiment, the step of identifying a plurality of regions includes the steps of identifying at least one of a design limit area which designates a maximum allowed area for design images to be viewed on the three dimensional item, including a debossed bead; a visible non-essential design area; a tab, lock, and bleed area through which color, design, and copy may bleed; a curl, hem, seam, and hinge area in which bleed color only may be placed; a bead and inverted bead area through which color should bleed and copy and design may run since the bead and inverted bead area is visible on the formed three dimensional item; severe distortion areas into which bleed solid colors and forgiving designs may be placed; an embossing limit area indicating a maximum allowed area for placement of images that will be embossed in the forming of the three dimensional item; and a no print area from which dark coatings and ink are likely to scratch off.
In a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of removing selected information from an engineering blank layout of the two dimensional sheet, and adding the filled regions of relative distortion to form the keyline. The preferred method further comprises the step of constraining a graphical design to the keyline with the added filled regions of relative distortion. Preferably, the step of adding the filled regions of relative distortion includes the steps of providing a two dimensional layer containing the filled regions of relative distortion, and overlaying the two dimensional layer on the keyline. Additionally, the step of assigning a graphical designator to each different region of relative distortion includes the step of assigning a graphical designator in accordance with a standard guide.
A preferred method of the instant invention of designing a graphical layout for a three dimensional item formed from a two dimensional sheet comprises the steps of: observing a keyline drawing of the two dimensional sheet, observing a color overlay for the keyline drawing indicating a plurality of regions of relative distortion resulting from forming the three dimensional item from the two dimensional sheet, and conforming the graphical layout design to the keyline drawing and the color overlay.
Other object and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.